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Coming off a tough 2008 season, Palo Alto High School's varsity badminton team looks optimistic in preparation for the games ahead.

"We hope to win more than one game this season," coach Kara Prentice said. "Hopefully we can place somewhere in the middle."

After consecutive losses in their 2008 season, the team looks to strategize and train ever harder in 2009.

"We are a rebuilding team this year," coach Prentice said. "Then again we are always rebuilding."

The team must look to a strong upperclassmen core to lead them in the upcoming months, because this year a record number of freshmen turned out for try-outs.

"This is definitely a great try-out year," coach Prentice said. "We not only have many athletes returning, but many freshman came out to play."

The team remains excited about what this new talent may bring to the court.

"We have a balanced team with a lot of decent players," senior Carson Chin said. "We need to get our team together and work on technique."

The Vikings remain content with their coaching staff, but hope to see a few changes.

"Our coaches are really great," senior Amanda Le said. "I think they need to be a little tougher on us though."

The team will need some strong leadership, and new tactics to begin the season with a few victories.

"We have some pretty good senior players," coach Prentice said. "Our guys are pretty strong but we don't have many senior girls playing."

The Vikings claim to play in a highly competitive league, and sights this as a reason for the many defeats they have experienced in the past. However, they refuse to let this discourage them, and only hope to achieve a higher ranking in the league than in past years.

"We really have a lot of enthusiasm for the game," Le said. "Even though we aren't the best, we win and lose as a family."